Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.

As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.

The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.

Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.

Dealing Effectively with Performance Stress

During my 35-year
career as a peak performance psychologist, I have helped countless performing
artists learn how to perform their best under pressure. My clients have won
major auditions and competitions all over the world. I have never met a
performing artist who has not felt some kind of performance stress. Whether
they call it nerves, stage fright, or performance anxiety, the stress comes
from fear—fear of how it will go, fear of how people perceive them, fear of not
performing at a high enough level, and so on. My goal is to help performers
break down this fear and to give them tools to combat it.

When musicians
encounter highly stressful situations they tend to react instinctively. It does
not matter whether something is really threatening their safety or if it is
just a perceived threat (like an audition panel or an angry conductor). The
perception of potential harm triggers the part of the brain known as the limbic
system or emotional (not rational) mind.

If you are like my
clients, you have felt yourself getting nervous at an audition or performance.
Your limbic system responds to your nerves by releasing adrenaline into your
bloodstream, which triggers physical changes. Within nanoseconds, the heart
starts to race and respiration increases. You become very alert and your senses
become extra sharp. You start to feel shaky as you scan your environment for
danger. Your muscles tighten and you begin to sweat. Sensing the extra energy
surging through your system, your mind goes into overdrive. You may begin
obsessing about the potential results and feel things like dread,
self-consciousness, self-criticism, loss of focus, and confusion.

If a real danger
was present, you would be ready to fight for your life or run away at record
speed. But for many musicians, the physical and mental changes caused by this
flight/fight response deteriorate their normal performance skills. The goal is
to learn to use this extra energy to your advantage.

Next, learn to
accept that you may feel nervous. You can expect to feel a huge rush of energy
before important performances or auditions. Instead of viewing adrenaline as a
negative thing to overcome, you should use it to your advantage by channeling
it into the music. The energy will allow you to deliver exciting, intensely
focused, and powerful performances that can move audiences and sway audition
panels. Start to practice performing with that extra energy.

Set up your
instrument and music, then turn on a recording device in a room. Step out of
the room and do something to get your heart rate up like jumping jacks or run a
flight of stairs. When your heart is pounding, enter the room and pick up your
instrument. Take a slow, deep breath and relax the muscles that are actively
involved in your playing. Ignore your racing heart and focus on what you need
to do. Shift to your right brain by hearing the first phrase just the way you
would like it to sound. Then, without hesitation, let it fly with reckless
abandon, riding the extra energy that you feel. Stop after the first few
phrases and turn off the recording device. Do not listen to the recordings
until you’ve completed the exercise five to seven times. By then, you’ll get
the idea and be ready to listen to your progress. You will have practiced
performing your best with at least some of the symptoms you feel when you are
under real pressure.

My centering method
is another great tool to help channel the mental and physical effects of
performance stress into powerful performances.

—Author of Fight Your Fear and Win and Performance Success, Don Greene is the first sports psychologist to teach in a music conservatory. He has helped thousands of musicians win auditions and major competitions. Based in Los Angeles, he also works with clients remotely. Visit the website winningonstage.com for information about Greene and his online centering courses.

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Earlier this year, the AFM moved its headquarters offices in New York City from the sixth floor to the ninth floor at 1501 Broadway—also known as the Paramount Building because it served as the New York headquarters for Paramount Pictures.

At 6:59 pm Monday evening, September 9, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) management issued a “take it or leave it” offer to the BSO Musicians which will be presented to the orchestra for a vote this evening, September 10. The proposal contained wage and benefit cuts of 20%. The federal mediators proposed an extension of negotiations […]